Search and Seizure
by Zapenstap
Summary: The second fic I ever wrote and really more of an attempt to practice with an original character. I laugh at myself now. Sum: Duo runs into a strange girl on some secret business and somehow falls into it himself, and a whole lot of other trouble. DM x H
1. Default Chapter

duofic FYI: Because I didn't want to create too many new characters, I used some of the same ones from Red Viper. If you have not yet read Red Viper, you might want to read that first, though it is not necessary to understand this story. But reading this story first will ruin the mystery in Red Viper. This story is also a bit of a lead in to the Mandred Chronicles.   
  


Search and Seizure:   
Part 1

by Zapenstap 

  


"Duo!" Hilde called as she entered the tiny little office house and shut the screen door behind her with her foot. "I'm here! Right on time too," muttered to herself. Duo was nowhere to be found. She sighed, shook her head at the lack of response and tossed her purse on the worn-down couch in the little living room beside the kitchen. Well, he wasn't watching television in the living room, he wasn't in the kitchen, and he wasn't outside in the junk yard, so there was only one place he could be. Hilde trotted to the stairs and shouted between her hands. "Duo, get out of bed and get down here! We have a lot to do today, remember?" 

Duo groaned and threw the pillow off his head. Hilde was early again. He lifted his left wrist to his face and squinted at the time on his watch. Nope, she was on time and he was late. Chuckling to himself, he threw off the blankets and sat up. Rolling out of bed, he more or less fell into his clothes, stumbled into his shoes, redid his braid, and tumbled downstairs. 

"Hey, Hilde!" he grinned boisterously as he leaped down the stairs two and three steps at a time. "Glad you could make it." 

"Duo," Hilde reprimanded, hands on her hips. Her brow had wrinkled in the way it did when she was irritated. "That's not going to work today. We have shipments backed up almost a week. You really can't afford to sleep in late right now." 

She was being pessimistic. Business was really good; they were just a little behind because they'd run out of some packaging supplies. "I know," Duo said with as much nonchalance as he could muster. "I'm going to go to go out to the shipping factories today and buy the stuff we need." 

Hilde smiled as she picked up a clipboard from the kitchen counter and shoved it in his hands. "Well, you'd better get started. I'll man the phones until you get back." 

Duo's grin slipped. "Don't I even get to eat breakfast first?" 

Hilde handed him a paper bag. "Here's a bagel, an apple and some orange juice. You can eat on your way. You ought to make a deal before lunch and it's already going on ten o-clock. We really need to get these shipments out before dusk if we want to stay in the transport business." 

She was right. Duo took his lunch bag with a wry smile. Giving Hilde a brief squeeze of a hug, he snatched his wallet from the coffee table, tossed a coat over his shoulder and was out the door. 

The supplies he needed were manufactured in a factory and stored in a warehouse on the otherside of the L2 colony, so he ate his breakfast at the bus stop and took a bus to the industrial side of the colony. In truth, he actually travelled upside down to get where he wanted to go, but Duo was so used to the structure of the colonies, it didn't seem bizzare at all. 

When he exited the bus, he shrugged on his black coat, crammed his hat over his head and strode out into the street. There were few people roaming about in this part of the city, so far from the neighborhoods, market place and city hall. There were some people going to work in the various warehouses, but not many so late in the morning. So Duo whistled to himself in solitude as he walked along, humming a cheery little song he had heard on the radio that morning. It had a bouncy beat. 

The sound of voices arguing made him stop and listen. 

"I told you, I don't know anything about it," a girl's voice came brightly, but defiantly from just around the corner. "I just do business with him. I run errands and stuff. That's it." 

Duo paused and placed the clipboard in his jacket, sensing trouble. 

"I don't buy that," a man's voice followed, cocky and threatening. "Why don't you just tell me why you're really prowling around here so I can do my job?" 

Duo slipped up beside the wall and pressed his back up against it. Reaching in the other side of his jacket, he pulled out the gun he always carried since the end of the war, just in case. He listened while he loaded it. 

"Look," the girl's voice came again. "I just want to know who you are..." There was a pause and then the girl gasped. "Are you going to shoot me?" 

This scene felt very familiar. Duo grinned as he moved. Only, when he turned the corner it was not Heero holding Relena at gunpoint, but a stranger pointing a gun at a short girl with dark hair and brown eyes. He recognized her vaguely. Felicia. She had been at the party following the capture of Red Viper four months ago. No, wait, she had been the one to capture the Red Viper. Whoever she was, she was backed in a corner now, between a stone wall and wooden fence. The man who stood before her held a gun in his right hand and the safety was disarmed. 

Well, the actors were different, but the same lines might suffice. 

"Anybody can see that you're the bad guy here," Duo said, pulling his hat low to hide his face and holding his gun steady. 

The man turned and cursed. With a sudden burst of speed, he leapt over a wooden fence and dissapeared. The girl, dressed in pale brown slacks and a short coat, lowered her arms and stood up on her tip-toes, peering over the fence in in the direction her attacker had fled. Finally, after several long seconds, she turned to him and grinned, teeth flashing. Duo smiled and put his gun away. She really was a tiny little thing. 

"How do you know _I'm_ not the bad guy?" Felicia demanded. 

"Wha...?" Duo began. He shoved back his hat. "Don't you recognize me? We met just a little while back." 

Felicia blinked. "Yeah, Duo Maxwell, gundam pilot 02. Good to see you!" she said cheerily, and laughed, but then swallowed her mirth, peering out over the fence again. "You shouldn't have let him get away; he'll cause trouble." 

Duo sighed. The first girl yells at him for shooting, the next because he didn't shoot. "You just can't please everybody," he lamented. "What'd you want me to do? Kill him?" 

"No, it's okay," Felicia said grudgingly. "I'll just have to be careful now." She moved to the fence and pulled herself up and over it in one fluid motion. Light as a mouse, she dropped to the other side. 

Duo frowned, moving to the fence himself. "What do you mean? Are you going after him?" 

"Not exactly. I just have to run some errands," came her voice from the other side of the fence. Duo moved closer. 

Peering through the cracks between the boards, Duo saw the girl standing on the other side, looking the way the man had run. "Why was he threatening you?" Duo asked. She had never explained how she had her friend Cor had captured an assassin. "Are you dangerous?" 

Felicia scuffed her shoe in the ground, kicking the dirt about. "I told you I wasn't an assassin or anything at the memorial party and I'm not. I'm really not. What I told that guy was true. I run errands and stuff." 

Duo scratched his head. "Who for?" 

Felicia looked at him sidewise through the cracks in the fence. A smile seemed to be playing on the corners of her mouth, but her eyes flashed. Secrets. She had a secret and enjoyed keeping it from him. That was irritating. Heero used to be like that too. "Well, a bunch of people," she said vaguely. "Right now I'm doing something for Mandred." 

Duo shrugged. Inwardly, he wasn't convinced. Something was very fishy here. "Well, I guess that's your business, but I'd like to know a little more about it before I just let you go. Seems like kind of a funny errand." 

Felicia laughed and pressed her face up to the fence, right up against his in the most flirtateous way. He could see into the depths of her eyes, beautiful brown, almond-shaped eyes. Not that he was attracted or anything. He had Hilde after all, and he could tell this girl was merely playing games. Yet he was capitvated by her eyes, her child-like face, and every word she whispered in soft, secret tones. "There's a man who'd trying to steal some very expensive jewels from this warehouse," she whispered mysteriously, "Some beautifully crafted crystals and diamonds. They're in the possession of the owner's wife, not the businessman or his business. I'm going to stop the thief." 

"You call that an errand?" Duo said incredulously. "Is that guy I ran off the one who is going to the steal diamonds?" Clumsy fool. "He probably won't get passed minimum security! He ran away from me even though he had a loaded gun." 

Falora chuckled, her smile wide and mischievious. "Not him. I think he's just a scout. But he will cause trouble." 

Duo felt responsible, and torn. Some fine diamonds, huh? How many? Maybe he could get one _little_ one as a reward... He sensed an adventure. "Well, I'm going to come with you," hje exclaimed grandly. "You shouldn't be doing something like this by yourself, a little girl like you, especially unarmed! This Mandred guy has funny ideas about appropriate favors." 

Her expression was like a flashflood of delight. Her eyes gleamed and she stuck her tongue out at him before laughter overcame her. "I don't need your help," she said, trying to control her giggles. "No, no! It's not an insult against you or anything, really," she stammered at his own expression of indignance, pounding her hands against the fence. "I just don't want to get you in trouble and I can handle it. Please just let me do my thing." 

"Can't risk it," he said, shaking his head. "I hate to see pretty girls in trouble. I'll follow you if you leave me behind." 

She eyed him askance, grumbling to herself, and crossed her arms. "Going to be difficult, eh? Cor told me that you were the last person I should _ever_ do a mission with. We're both too chaotic." 

"That's okay," Duo said. "I'm not as flashy as Heero. You know, it's the _quiet_ people who make the most noise." 

"It'll be a disaster," she said emphatically, shaking her head. 

"No it won't," he retorted, more determined now. 

"Yes it will." 

"No it won't." 

"Ah, come on!" Duo complained. 

"No. Even Cor said no." 

"He's not here," Duo reminded her. 

"No!" she yelled, stamping her foot. 

"Where is your friend Cor?" Duo asked politely, unphased. 

"Home, I think. I don't need him either." She frowned, crossing her arms. "You're not going to just go away are you?" 

"Nope." 

She sighed. "All right, I guess you can come, but it's going to be a mess and we're both going to regret it." 

Duo grinned.   


Well, what do you think of my Duo fic so far? I really really really like reviews, so please give me a head's up, even on this silly stuff!! There's four parts to this one too. 

[email me][1]   
  
[][2]   
  


   [1]: mailto:zapenstap@yahoo.com
   [2]: main.html



	2. Chapter 2

duofic2

Search and seizure   
Part 2 

By Zapenstap 

  
  


  


Duo pulled Felicia back as they approached the back entryway of the warehouse where a man stood casually by an open door, boredly smoking a cigarette. Felicia grunted sourly as Duo gently pressed her up against the stone wall. 

"Place seems to be guarded," Duo said pointedly. "Kind of weird for a warehouse, don't ya' think?" 

Felicia's features seemed to screw themselves up in a knot. "He could just be on a break, but I think you're right." 

"Why would a warehouse have a guard, even if there are diamonds in it? What kind of diamonds are these anyway? Where did they come from?" Trapping her between himself and the wall, he was serious about the question and she sensed it. 

Felicia twisted her head, seeming reluctant to speak. He glared at her. "You have pretty eyes," she said with a grin, smiling in his face, her teeth flashing. He kicked her in the shin lightly and she muffled a yelp. "Okay, okay!" she laughed where she should have been scared. "Mercy!" He snorted. Strange, strange girl. "I'm such a push-over," she sighed. Lifting her head, she stared him right in the eyes. "There's one really _large_ diamond, okay? One diamond mixed up with some plain old crystals that kind of look diamondish because of the cut. The man who wants them is named Teleb. I know it's not a very scary name, but he's dangerous. As for the warehouse being guarded, I think the scout you chased away must have spread the word that I'm 'prowling about.' Teleb's probably in there right now, searching for those crystals. His hirelings are probably all over the place. It's really, _really_ dangerous for you to come with me, and I think you should just forget it and go." She skirmed against the wall, glaring at him now. 

Duo straightened and tossed his braid over his shoulder. Abandon her at a time like this? "No way!" he exclaimed. 

She chewed her lip and gave him an impish look. "Please?" 

"No," he repeated. 

"Well, let's at least stop wasting time," she said in a huff. "I can't let Teleb have those crystals." 

Why did she say crystals rather than the diamond? Trying to keep his mind off it, maybe. What did her employer have to do with any of this? He would have to watch her, and that meant coming along whether she liked it or not. "Don't you worry, little missy!" he said with a proud grin. "The God of Death is on your side now and there ain't nothin' that's going to stop us from finding those jewels before this Teleb guy does." 

Felicia laughed with wicked delight and took his arm. "Sounds fine by me. Let's go!" 

She began to walk out into the open, but Duo grabbed her about the waist and pulled her back. "What are you doing? You can't just walk right in with a guard standing there! He'll raise the alarm." 

She blinked. "Oh, right. What do you suggest?" 

Totally spastic. Duo grinned. "Well, this God of Death also used to be a thief. If anybody can get away with stealing some jewels before a real thief takes 'em, it's me. However, we're going to have to do it real stealthy-like." Felicia cocked her head to one side like a bird. Duo smiled down at her. "Don't worry. You wait here; I'll take care of our watchdog." 

Felicia shrugged and settled back against the wall, ankles crossed and fingers tapping against the stone. 

Fingering the trigger on his gun, Duo ducked low and peered around the edge of the building. The watchman was leaning against the wall with his eyes closed, his cigarette dangling loosely from his mouth. Not a very good watch dog. Well, never look a gift horse in the mouth, or so the saying went. This was going to be easy! He wouldn't even have to scale the walls or anything. Seeing his chance, Duo moved, slipping around the corner to the shadows of the building, staying close to the ground and the wall. He moved quickly but quietly, the movement of his shoes barely even seeming to touch the ground. He was one with the shadows, a thief in the night, Shinigami, the God of Death. 

The watchman never saw him coming. Holding his gun by the barrel, Duo slid up beside him and swung the heavy handle of his gun sharply upward. The watchman's eyes flew open as the motion of shadows behind his closed eyelids caught his attention, but it was too late. The handle of the gun collided swiftly with his temple and he collapsed in a neat heap, blissfully unconscious. 

"Sorry, man," Duo said as he flipped his gun about and shoved it back in his coat. "You picked the wrong job on the wrong day. That's gonna leave mark." He calmly adjusted his braid. 

Suddenly, he was whirled about as Felicia grabbed his elbow and dragged him stumbling inside. "No time to waste," she said cheerily. "You can preen your feathers later." 

"What?" he objected indignantly. "I wasn't preening!" 

"Whatever. Come on." 

The warehouse was cold gray stone and stacked boxes and wooden crates like every other warehouse he had ever seen. Felicia moved at a back-breaking pace, not running, but striding quickly without wasting a single inch her short height could lend her. She seemed preoccupied, so they did not talk. Duo didn't like busting in like this without any idea of the layout of the place. He was almost completely dependent on her knowledge. Normally, flying by the seat of his pants didn't bother him because somebody else was usually around to keep him on a straight course, but Felicia seemed more disorganized than himself. Now he knew what she meant by their teaming up being a recipe for disaster. 

Felicia paused several times as they wove their way between boxes and moving equipment. She would stop and become very still, like a deer sensing the atmosphere, looking about her as if searching for something. After a moment, she would head in a deliberate direction. After awhile, Duo wondered what clues she was following. 

"Do you know where you're going?" Duo asked after the second display of this peculiar behavior. 

"We need to go up," she said simply. "Teleb is on the top floor." 

"How do you know?" 

"I just do," she said glibly, her brow crinkling. "But I can't find the stairs." 

Duo had noticed them upon walking in. "Back a little ways on the right." 

"Why didn't you say so before?" Felicia demanded. 

"You didn't say you were looking for stairs before!" 

They didn't discuss it further. Felicia merely flashed him a disarming smile and ran in the direction he had indicated. Muttering to himself about the power of girlish smiles, Duo followed. Duo opened the heavy metal door for his partner and she flitted inside, waving for him to follow. They ran up several flights together, bypassing three floors before Felicia careened to the side and pushed with both hands on the collapse bar of the door to fourth floor, making a dreadful racket. 

"Whoa!" Duo said, pulling her back, letting the door close on them both. "You should check first! What are you going to do if there are enemies out there?" 

Felicia took a deep breath, looking annoyed, and said nothing. She stepped back and waved him forward impatiently. Nodding, Duo applied slight pressure to the door and peered through the crack. Nothing. The hall was empty. Damn lucky, but Felicia did not look at all surprised. Absolutely reckless. He opened the door further and waved Felicia through, shutting it softly behind them. 

Without speaking, Felicia waved to the left and he followed close behind her, hand on his gun just in case. He still hadn't seen that scout guy he ran off earlier, not to mention this dangerous Teleb guy. Why was it so quiet? Where was everybody? He asked as much in as loud a whisper as he dared. 

"There's a company meeting on the second floor," Felicia replied in a hushed voice. "The only people upstairs are the owner's wife, Teleb, his hirelings and us." 

"Teleb's got this pretty planned out. How'd he know this diamond-carrying woman would be alone at this hour?" 

"He's got great intel," Felicia whispered hurriedly after a moment's hesitation. Duo's suspicion grew. "He's got this place clocked down to fifteen minute windows. He probably even knows we are here, though if we are lucky, he doesn't know who I... I mean we, are." 

Duo did not reply. Now that he thought about it, it seemed weird that Felicia and her friend Cor had trekked half-way across the world just to interfere with the plans of one terrorist. And now this diamond. Why would the wife of a warehouse manager possess a very large diamond and some crystals? Why would she carry them around with her? Why did Felicia's employer know about it and why did he care enough to send a young girl on an "errand" to stop it? She couldn't be any older than himself, sixteen, maybe seventeen, though her stature made her look even younger. 

"I know you've got questions," Felicia said, slowing suddenly. "And I don't know if you'll ever get sufficient answers, but you've _got_ to trust me." 

Duo frowned at her, stopping. "I'm repaying the favor you did us at the memorial party. I trust you." But he wasn't really too sure he should. 

Felicia studied him for a moment and something seemed to pass through her eyes, a sort of unhappiness or dissatisfaction. But she nodded. "Okay." 

A loud boom resounded through the hall, like something exploding. Duo jumped. Felicia started, turning her head and sucking air in through her teeth. "Oh no. He's found her. Hurry!" 

She grabbed his hand and pulled him into a run. Duo swore as he pulled his gun out from his jacket and released the safety. Voices came to them clearly from further down the hall. 

"I see you have something I could use," a smooth male voice said gravely. "Surrender them and I will not trouble you." 

Felicia stopped and pulled Duo against the wall. 

"Who are you?" a woman's voice cried in fear. "Please stop! They are in my dresser's top drawer! Under some business papers!" 

"How did you come across them?" the man's voice said again. 

A little whimper came from the woman. "I... I'm sorry. I found them out in the wilderness during a hiking trip. I swear it! I did not steal them! I did not know they were yours. You can have them back. Just please don't...Ah!!" 

Duo snarled and made to move forward. This jerk would pay for hurting a civilian woman for some jewels she found! One bullet would do it. 

Felicia pulled him back with a strength that surprised him. He even bounced a little, stunned. She was not looking at him. Her face looked like something in a Picasso painting, her features twisted in torment. The sound of boots could be heard down the hall. 

"Bring her," Teleb's voice (he supposed it to be Teleb) said sharply. 

"Yes sir." 

Duo grunted. The second was the voice of the man her had chased away earlier! Two bullets. He made to move again, but again Felicia restrained him. When he looked at her, she just shook her head mutely. After several moments, the sound of boots died away. 

"Follow me," Felicia whispered, and moved out. Totally confused, Duo followed. Why had she hesitated? He could have taken both those guys by surprise easily! They rounded the corner and walked down another hallway, heading toward the back. Felicia stopped before a door on the right. Voices could be heard inside, muffled somewhat, but deep enough to be noticeably male. 

Duo hefted his gun. Felicia gestured for him to take the lead, her face blank and cold as a state. She even looked a little pale. Unusual. Where did all her brightness and cheer go? Perhaps it was just the intensity of the situation. He nodded and put one hand on the door handle. This would have been easier in the hall, but... 

"I'm sorry, Duo" Felicia said quietly from behind him. 

The door swung open before he touched it and a pair of hands reached out to seize him. Duo turned to Felicia, but she was gone. She had taken off before the door even opened. 

"Well well," a voice chuckled. Duo recognized it as belonging to the man he had chased away from Felicia. "Here's the prowler Teleb said was nosing about. We've met before, but I'm afraid you've missed _him_. Good of you to fall into his trap, though."   
  


  
Hey, for those of you who are used to me getting chapters up with a day... sorry. I went away for a week and FF.net shut down. And now that's I'm back, it has shut down again! I will try to get the rest of this fic up tomorrow (two more chapters) because I have to leave again for another week. If that doesn't work out, you can read the UPDATED version of THIS FIC ONLY at my site (address below). The other fics by me need to be updated still. I suggest you wait for those. Oh yeah, please review!!! ^_^ 

[my site][1]

[email][2]   
  


   [1]: http://zapenstap.topcities.com/main.html
   [2]: mailto:zapenstap@yahoo.com



	3. Chapter 3

duofic3

  
Search and Seizure   
Part 3

by Zapenstap   


  
  


Duo grunted as he was kicked in the back and thrown bodily against the far wall of the small room. The air in his lungs left him in a great rush and he doubled over, wheezing breathlessly. Before he could gather himself, he was disarmed, even of the small knife he had hidden in the sleeve of his jacket. He started to rise, but a big black boot kicked him solidly in the stomach. Duo groaned and collapsed again, trying hard not to throw up his breakfast. 

But he didn't lose his wits. Even as he hung over, winded and apparently powerless, he reached for his communicator by his belt and pressed one of the quick dials. He typed in the warehouse's house number, 2456, a dash, and 911. Hilde would want to know he was in trouble and might not come back with those parts... He smiled at the thought. After that, he attempted to try another number, this one Heero's, or what had once been Heero's number some time ago. God only knew if it still was; no one had seen or heard from Heero in forever. 

The man who had kicked him snarled and swiped the communicator from his hand. He got another kick in the stomach directly following. Duo slumped a little and grimaced, but there was little he could do. So much for Heero coming to the rescue. So what. He didn't need him anyway. He might need somebody, though. He grinned weakly to himself. 

"What happened to the little minx?" the man Duo who had chased away snarled as Duo began to rise again. 

Duo masked his surprise and coughed weakly. "She took off," he said. They did not ask when and he didn't supply more information. For all they knew, she had never entered the building. But the question still remained. Had Felicia fed him to these hounds, or not? By this brute's tone, they seemed not to like her much, and that was what surprised him. When the door opened, he had sensed betrayal, but now he wasn't so sure. Well, if not betrayal, at least abandonment. Even so, he would not give these dogs any information about her, not until he had a plan. He had his pride after all. 

The other man, the one who had twice kicked Duo, smirked over his shoulder. "Easy, Joe. That little vixen's no threat, whatever Teleb rants about." He swallowed a little nervously, though. It took Duo a moment to realize it wasn't Felicia that made him anxious, but Teleb. 

"I don't like it, Greg," Joe muttered. "She wasn't scared of me before and I'm tellin' ya, Teleb seemed uneasy when I told him there was a short little brunette skulking about outside." 

Greg just shook his head. "Teleb doesn't get uneasy and I'm telling you not to worry." He grabbed a fistful of Duo's hair and yanked his head back. "We've got the important one right here." 

Duo concentrated on his breathing, and his temper. He could feel anger boiling in his gut, expanding every horrid moment he spent with these pitiful jerks. They were just thugs. He was the God of Death, Gundam Pilot 02, a great hero and veteran of the gundam war! These guys were gonna get it. They were gonna... 

Greg kicked him again and this time he collapsed, wincing in pain on the floor. He choked in air through his mouth, but he still felt positively ill. He even seemed to be shaking a bit. 

"Why are you here, kid?" Greg demanded, cold gray eyes peering into his own from above. "What do you know?" 

Duo squeezed his eyes shut. "Just that you're a bunch of thugs who..." 

The back of Greg's hand collided with his face and his head rolled. Coughing, Duo turned his face again toward his attacker and managed a sickly grin. "I just hear you got diamonds," he said hoarsely. It was only the truth. He could buy time. 

And then he realized he really _didn't_ know any more than that. Until minimal physical abuse he had spilled everything he knew! It was both a horrifying thought and kind of a funny one. He had meant to banter with these guys and tell them nothing really important, keeping the important stuff close to his heart under even the worst torture, but he hadn't realized that he didn't really know anything important until just now. He had stumbled in on this on accident and committed to it out of some sort of bizarre sense of chivalry. Really, the most important information he knew was his own identity and his knowledge of Felicia in this building. Well, if that was all he had, he certainly wasn't going to mess it up. No way. 

Greg frowned at him. "What are you, some kind of thievin' pirate?" 

"Hell no," Duo said indignantly. Pirate indeed! "I'm a solider." 

"Don't play with me," Greg snapped. "You want another blow?" He raised his hand threateningly. "Who are ya'?" 

"Hey, I may run and hide, but I never lie!" Duo laughed sorely. It hurt his stomach to laugh. "I really am a soldier. Veteran." 

"Kinda young, isn't he, Greg?" Joe said uncertainly. "Don't you have to be at least eighteen to be a soldier?" 

"Depends where you're from, I think," Greg muttered. "How old are you, kid?" 

"Seventeen," Duo said. "Truthfully, I'm seventeen." 

"Gundam Pilots were only fifteen, they say," Greg said. "I guess youngsters sometimes sneak in. I don't quite understand why they want to die so bad." 

Duo laughed weakly. Maybe that was Heero's reason for becoming a Gundam Pilot, and maybe Trowa's too, but he had just wanted to fight for the colonies. He'd made somewhat of a mess of it, but that had been his chief prerogative. But these guys didn't have to know any of that. They probably wouldn't understand anyway. 

"All right," Joe said grimly. "Here's what's gonna happen. You..." 

Suddenly, there was a loud explosion from down the fall. Heads turned as a wave of sound and energy rolled through the hall. The door creaked on its hinges, seeming about to implode inward. Even from inside the small little room, Duo could see a brilliant flash of red light seep through the doorframe. A second hollow boom followed the first. Something shattered. Someone screamed, or several people. Duo heard three distinct emotions: pain, fear and rage, all mingled together. Thug Greg and Thug Joe snapped their heads up at the commotion. 

Duo saw his chance. Reaching out, he grasped Greg by the leg and pulled him over. Scrambling to his knees, he reached inside Greg's coat and grabbed his gun. Crouching on one knee with his foot stradding over his opponent, Duo held the barrel not two feet away from his foe's face. Joe gasped. Duo caught the shine of silver in the other side of Greg's jacket flap and pulled out a second gun with his right hand. Without taking his eyes off of Greg, the closer enemy, he aimed the second weapon at Joe with his left hand. His hands and eyes were steady. 

"You guys had better stick to petty theft and small-time embezzlement in the future," Duo said quietly. "You're not cut out to take _me_ on." 

"I had you down," Greg gasped. 

"No," Duo refuted. "You had me winded. There's a difference, or we would not now be in _this_ situation." 

"I surrender!" Joe wailed suddenly. Duo spared him half a glance. He stood trembling, hands shaking, eyes wide in fear. Duo shook his head and said nothing. Greg was not so pathetic, even in his worse situation, but Duo was taking no chances. He kept both guns steady. 

"What's this Teleb guy's full operation?" Duo demanded of Joe, who seemed broken just by being threatened with death. 

"We don't know him that well," Joe stammered. "He hired us yesterday morning and asked us to guard this warehouse, keep a lookout. There are more, other hirelings, on different floors." 

"What about Felicia?" Duo asked. "Why does this Teleb guy seem concerned about her?" 

"I don't know," Joe said, almost on the verge of tears. "She's just a little girl. Doesn't seem dangerous, but what do I know? Maybe she has information on him or something." 

Duo considered this, but said nothing. What about that explosion? Had Felicia been carrying grenades, flash bombs? It would have been nice to know about it before this mess. "What else do you know about Teleb?" 

Joe licked his lips. "He looks like a fairly young guy, late twenties. He's got a pretty face, dresses well, has a high-society look about him. I don't know why he's after some woman's jewelry. I don't know why he hired us or why that girl is following him. All I know is that he promised me a paycheck for a simple service. That's it!" 

Suddenly, Duo heard a voice in the hallyway calling his name frantically. 

"Hilde!" Duo shouted. "I"m in here!" 

Moments later, Hilde opened the door to see Duo crouched over one fallen man and holding another, plus the first, at gunpoint. She closed the door behind her. At first she was all astonishment, then disapproval, then worry, but as she looked at him, his rumpled clothes, his smudged face, her face darkened and her attention and all her negative emotions diverted to his captives. Duo held back a grin. That was his Hilde. 

Suddenly, Joe went wild. He sprang back, grabbing a simple wooden stool from the corner and ripping the leg off of it. Duo cursed. 

Hilde gasped. From her purse, she took out her own little gun, and held it at Joe. "Drop your weapon!" she said firmly. "I've been trained in the OZ military. Drop your weapon and surrender or I _will_ shoot!" 

Joe dropped his cudgel and sunk low, cowering in the corner. Seeing that Hilde had that pretty under control, Duo lowered his left arm and pointed both guns toward Greg. In a low voice, he asked him the same questions he had asked Joe. Greg merely shook his head and spoke plainly the same answers as his comrade. 

"Duo, what's this all about?" Hilde asked. 

"In a minute, Hilde," Duo said, concentrating still on Greg. "And the girl?" 

"I don't know anything about her either. Teleb just said that if we came across her to knock her out as quickly as possible and bring her to him. He gave us a description of her too. Joe thought it would be better if we captured her, so when Teleb took that old man's wife to her rooms to collect his jewels, we made it seem as if one of us was Teleb coming in this room. We were surprised when it was you in the doorway and not the chick, but..." 

"Yeah, I remember the rest of it," Duo interrupted. "What do _you_ know about Teleb and where is he now?" 

Greg shook his head. "Teleb's a weird guy. We'd never heard of him before, but he _knows_ stuff and he pays well. We've never had contact of any of this sources either. We don't even know if he really has any, but he must somewhere. He dragged that old biddy off with him and told us our payments would appear in our bank accounts. Honestly, I don't think we were supposed to see him again, not unless we captured the girl, but we haven't seen her. He's probably even gone by now. The guy wasn't one to waste time." 

Duo mulled this over in his head, but he had one more question. "Do you have any idea what that explosion a moment ago was?" 

Greg shook his head. "No idea. It scared the living daylights out of me. I've never heard of an explosive that makes that much noise and light that wouldn't blow this whole area to pieces." 

Duo nodded. "Well, thanks for the information anyway." Without further conversation, Duo knocked Greg across the side of the head with the handle of his gun, sending him into a state of complete unconsciousness. As Greg collapsed, Duo twisted to his feet and approached the still-terrified Joe. "Don't move your sights off of him, Hilde." Hilde didn't budge as Duo approached Joe and hit him similarly across the head. 

Now, standing in a plain little room with two unconscious hooligans and Hilde, Duo wasn't sure what to do. 

Hilde lowered her gun. "Who are these guys, Duo?" she said. "You took so long coming back I thought you got distracted by something, so I came down to look for you when I got your 911 page. I'm glad I brought my gun from home now, but I never expected this." 

"How'd you know where I was exactly?" 

"Well, you gave me the building number, and then there was this great flash of light and an explosion. I ran up all the stairs and then I heard voices." 

"Did you see what happened with the lights flashing?" Duo asked her. He opened the door to the small room and held it open for Hilde. 

"No, nothing," Hilde said, her brows lowered in confusion as she stepped out into the hall. "Just a great flash and a loud booming noise." 

Duo followed her. He expected there to be debris littering the floor, perhaps gaping holes in the walls made by the explosion, but there was no such evidence. The hallways was completely intact, clean and quiet. "This is odd," Duo muttered.   


  
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   [1]: mailto: zapenstap@yahoo.com
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	4. chapter 4

duofic4 Disclaimer: None of the GW characters in this fic are mine, but everything else is.   
  


  


Search and Seizure   
Part 4 

by Zapenstap 

  
  
  
  
  


Duo and Hilde walked about uncertainly, stooping to examine the floors, trailing their fingertips along the walls. 

"It looks like they just painted it," Hilde said in awe. "Good as new! But I swear I saw the explosion from outside with my own eyes. One of these rooms was entirely consumed with this red fiery light. The noise was so loud I thought the whole wall must have been blown out." 

"Yeah," Duo muttered. "That's what I thought. What room did it come from?" 

Hilde frowned and turned about. "Down the hall a ways, I think." 

Duo swallowed. Toward the wife's room. The wife! He cursed. What was he doing standing around when there might be some poor civilian being questioned or tortured or dying or who knew what? And there was still Teleb to deal with, not to mention Felicia. Had she betrayed him or not? 

Duo grabbed Hilde's hand and ran down the hall with her trailing behind. 

"What's going on, Duo?" Hilde demanded, pulling him back. "Explain it to me before we plunge into who knows what." 

"A diamond heist, I think," Duo said. "Some guy named Teleb came to steal this diamond and some crystals from the wife of this warehouse, but they weren't really hers either, I don't think. I stumbled upon Felicia--you remember, I told you about her--prowling about outside. She's the one who left me at the door for those thugs. I don't know where she went." 

"Maybe she's really working with Teleb," Hilde suggested. "And was trying to get you captured." 

"Yeah, I thought about that, but I'm not sure. What of the diamond? It seemed to be this Teleb's main objective when I heard him talking in the hallway. Felicia held me back from getting him then, though." 

"It looks really fishy, Duo," Hilde said uncertainly. 

"I know," Duo muttered. "Hey! Do you have your phone on you?" 

Hilde reached into her purse and drew it out. "Gonna call somebody?" 

Duo nodded. "Yeah, if anybody has information on this Felicia girl, it'll be Heero." 

Duo tried the most recent number he had tracked down as Heero's, the oone he had 911-ed, but it had been disconnected. He tried another. Disconnected. He tried his last one, but he got only a "this line is no longer in service. Please hang up and try again." 

"Hey," Duo grumbled. "Where'd he take off to?" 

"Try Relena," Hilde suggested. "Maybe she knows what happened to him." 

Duo didn't want to call Relena. He hated contacting her. He had her personal number for some weird reason, but she rarely had time to talk and he rarely had the desire just to call up for a chat with the Earth's representative. She was so intense she gave him the creeps. "All right," he muttered grudgingly, and dialed the number. 

"Duo Maxwell?" Relena's voice came in surprise over the phone, fuzzy and indistinct from so far away. 

"Yeah," Duo said. "I'm actually trying to get a hold of Heero. Is he with you?" 

"I haven't seen of heard from him in forever," she said quietly, and worriedly he though. "What's this about?" 

"I'm trying to get some information on that Felicia girl we ran into before." 

Relena paused. "Sally and Wufei already looked into that. There aren't any records on her, name, family, birthplace, nothing. I know she helped us out before, but she and the boy who came with her were keeping some sort of secret. The only records we found were that she did retain Angela Moise for awhile and reported the capture to the police. Heero uncovered that; I don't know if he knew more. I don't think so." 

"Well, thanks anyway," Duo muttered. "I just ran into her again and she got me in trouble." 

"Is everything okay?" Relena asked. 

"Yeah, I'm fine. Don't worry about it; I'll take care of everything." 

"All right." She paused, and he could hear the question hovering on her lips before she said it. "Duo, please contact me if you hear from Heero. No one's seen him for awhile and I can't help worrying. I... I know he's none of my business, but he's been so withdrawn lately and I...." 

Duo smirked. "It's all right. I'm concerned too, but I doubt he'll contact me on his own. I'll tell you what, though. When this side adventure is over, I'll try to track him down for ya'. We really can't just let him hide from everybody, now can we?" 

"Thanks, Duo," she whispered quietly. "I feel awful, but I just can't help caring about him." 

Duo smiled. Any girl who could be moonstruck over Heero _had_ to be creepy, but his smile turned into a grin. They more or less deserved each other. "Me too. I'm sure there's no real reason to worry, though. I'll see ya later." 

They both hung up. 

"Did you learn anything?" Hilde asked anxiously. 

"No, not really," Duo said with a sigh. "Just that this Felicia's a ghost. Come on, let's go find that room." 

They trotted down the hall together, peeking into all the rooms they came across. "Down there," Hilde said with a gesture to an antechamber with its door swinging open. "That looks like one of those office bedrooms bigwigs sometimes have when they stay overnight at their businesses." 

Duo nodded and they both approached the room cautiously. Hilde entered first, and Duo felt her reaction from behind. 

"Oh my God," Hilde said as they entered the doorway. 

Felicia lay sprawled face down on the ground, her brown hair scattered in a wild mass on the carpet. Her left hand was burnt, the skin bubbled from some enormous heat. Her clothes were black and tattered in places, and she wasn't moving. Across the room, an older woman was laying on the bed as if asleep. Duo supposed she was the wife and had been knocked unconscious. 

Even as Hilde spoke, both the women began to move. Hilde let out a sigh of relief and rushed to help Felicia. 

"What happened?" the wife mumbled. 

Felicia raised her head with a moan and a choked, sardonic laugh. She brought her burned and blistered hand to her breast, her body shaking. "Gone," she said. "I won, but he's gone." As she said it, her eyes fell on a pile of what looked like shattered glass lying in a pile on the floor. 

So, Teleb has escaped. 

"Are those the crystals?" Hilde asked. 

Felicia looked up at her, eyes glassy. "No, not the crystals. Do I know you? Oh wait, you're um...Hilde?" Hilde blinked in surprise. Felicia put her unburnt hand to her forehead. "I am in such a state..." she mumbled. 

Duo whipped out his gun. "Stand back, Hilde. This girl's got some answers to give." 

Hilde looked up in surprise and moved back. Felicia lifted her head to stare into his eyes and moaned plaintively. "Right, of course, the thugs. I'm _really_ sorry about that, you know." She smiled at him then, that beautiful, impish smile containing all kinds of flattery. "Someone needed to take care of them, and I knew you could do it! Better than me, probably. I really couldn't have you with me when I went after Teleb. I _didn't_ invite you along if you remember." 

Duo didn't lower his gun. "You didn't seem to do such a great job. What'd you do, stick your hand in the fireplace? I could have taken care of Teleb with one bullet." 

Felicia's eyes seemed to turn into pure liquid. "No, that really would have been very bad," she said. "We would have both been in serious trouble if you tried _that. _It's okay, though.I have secured the prize and chased him away. Ask me no more questions." 

"No, it's not okay! I'll ask you all the questions I want," Duo refuted. "You're wounded and in mortal peril, so don't even try to play this off. Who are you really?" 

"Wounded?" Felicia chirped, blinking at her hand. "Oh right! It's nothing that will hinder me for _too_ long." She grinned. "Oh, do put the gun away. I'm not going to attack you and you're not going to shoot me. I told you the truth before." She slowly stood to her feet. "My errand went well." 

"Yeah? Errand complete? Is that what you say?" Duo said. "Where's the diamond?" 

Felicia gestured to the pile of glass on the floor. "Pretty, huh? The pieces are still valuable, but not for the purpose Teleb wanted to use it for. This was not easy money, you know," she said in a lecturing tone that sounded silly coming from her mouth. "That particular diamond was an instrumental piece in a... weapon--I guess you could call it that--he wanted to use. And really, that's all you need to know." With that, she gave him a half-bow and walked right past him out of the room. She paused at the doorframe. Duo lowered his gun. "I really am sorry, Duo. I'm bad at making decisions, especially involving other people. That's why Cor usually comes with me, or someone else. Please forgive me. I meant well. I really did." 

Duo frowned at her. For some reason, he believed her. Maybe it was the innocent look in her eyes. They were not the eyes of a criminal. She was not haunted by any shadows, of war or pain or death, nor possessed by any dark evil of greed or hate. But she definitely had something to hide, and whatever it was, she wasn't going to just tell him about it. Maybe she had her reasons. "Felicia's not your real name, is it?" he surmised. 

She grinned widely. "You're a good guesser! But Duo's not really your name either, is it?" she sighed. "Nobody really seems to have real names here." But the idea seemed to delight her. 

"What about you friend Cor?" Duo asked out of curiosity. "Is that _his_ real name?" 

"Coran," she said simply. "He's boring." And with a wink and a laugh she ducked out of the room. 

Duo shook his head as she left. He doubted he'd ever--or would want!--to see _her_ again. Then he stared at the pile of diamond shards on the floor. What sort of explosion would shatter diamond? And the pieces! It had made a _pile_. That diamond could have been close to the size of his fist! It would have been worth millions! 

The warehouse manager's wife slid of the bed and toddled up to Hilde and Duo. "For the life of me, I don't know what has happened today. I can't seem to remember any of it." She passed a hand over her head. "Please, thank you so much for rescuing me. You can have one of these diamond pieces if you want. I seem to remember them causing me trouble. I don't really want them anymore." 

Hilde picked up the largest with a glitter in her eye. "Duo, with this, we can expland our business greater than we ever dreamed!" 

"Well, I suppose we have Felicia to thank for it," Duo muttered. "It was her that rescued you, I'm afraid," Duo told the woman. 

"Who?" The woman said with evident surprise. "A girl? When was she here?" 

Hilde and Duo both stared at her. Hilde opened her mouth, but Duo shook his head. This day was too weird already. "Well, thank you, Miss," Duo said, dofting his hat. "We could certainly use the money." 

"There are two men locked up in a room down the hall," Hilde told her. "You should call the cops to have them picked up." 

Again the woman seemed surprised. She couldn't seem to remember ever having being accosted in the hallway not long ago either, and couldn't decribe any of the men that had threatened her. But she believed them and agreed readily. Thanking them again, she saw them out of the building. 

Outside the warehouse, Duo and Hilde stood together, examining the small diamond piece they had received from the woman, judging its worth. It would be enough to enable them to remodel their office, get some more buyers maybe, strengthen their shipping lines, pay off some of their loans maybe. 

"What about the crystals?" Hilde said suddenly. "Didn't you say there were crystals?" 

Duo paused in astonishment. "Yeah. I didn't see them anywhere." And then he smacked himself in the forehead. "Huh! That little...minx!" Felicia had taken them with her. She must have. She had taken a few intact crystals and left a shattered diamond. Whatever for? "Maybe they work just as well in this new weapons she mentioned," he muttered to himself. 

"What was that?" Hilde asked. 

"Oh, nothing. I was just wondering why she would want the crystals. I suppose we'll never really know what's up with her." 

"I don't think she was bad, Duo. I think she was telling the truth. After all," she added, pointing a finger at his chest, "it _was_ you who interfered. She's not really obligated to tell you anything. You should probably have just kept your nose out of her affairs and taken care of business!" 

Duo grinned. "Yeah, well, I suppose. But you know me, it's hard to pass up an adventure. I guess I should go take care of those supplies now, huh?" he suggested a little sheepishly. 

Hilde smiled and punched his arm playfully. "You'd better!" 

"Oh drat," Duo said. "I left my clipboard inside." 

Hilde drubbed him over the head with her fist. "We're going to miss closing time, Duo!" 

"Hey, hey! What are you doing? Ow! Stop beating me! I'll go back in and get it!" 

And he did, this time by the front door.   
  
  


_~The End~_

That's it for this fic. I know some stuff was kind of left hanging, but what can I say except stay tunred for my next post! 

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